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Echinacea purpurea and hybridsOf all the native plants that have gone from America’s prairies to the world’s gardens, few have a history to rival that of the purple coneflower.For many years gardeners had two choices: Pinky-purple, and Not-quite-white. Then came 2002, when breeder Jim Ault of Chicago introduced the first orange and yellow hybrids. That was the genus’s Big Bang, and like the universe, it’s still expanding.Now, you can have your “purple” coneflowers in myriad hues, solids and bi c

Talk about intoxicating beauty! Spirits and flowers go together like, well, like wine and roses. Here’s a round of some of our favorite ornamental grasses. All share their names with fancy adult beverages. Miscanthus sinensis var. condensatus ‘Cosmopolitan’The Plant:Beautiful broad blades with longitudinal striping. Creamy white margins surround rich green centers. This is an impressive specimen, reaching up to nine feet in flower. Hardy in Zones 5 – 10.The Beverage:Every bar and bistro has its

Talk about intoxicating beauty! Flowers and spirits go together like, well, like wine and roses. Here’s a round of some of our favorite adult-beverage-inspired perennials.Achillea millefolium ‘Moonshine’ and Little MoonshinePP28179The Plants:‘Moonshine’ is a legacy plant from the famed English plantsman Alan Bloom, standing 18 – 24”. Little Moonshine is a Dutch-bred hybrid very much like its namesake and male parent, only less so: Similar bright yellow flowers and gray-green foliage, but in a sm

April showers bring May flowers.Mayflowers bring Pilgrims.Winter production brings April liners.April liners bring spring and summer profits. Our prolific production teams kept the beat going all winter. Now, with spring in the process of springing, you can reap the rewards of their efforts with ready-to-rock perennials and grasses!Grasses du JourPanicum (Switch grass)This indigenous American genus isn’t just for native plant enthusiasts. Tough and carefree, it’s perfectly at home in any su

April showers bring May flowers.Mayflowers bring Pilgrims.Winter production brings April liners.April liners bring spring and summer profits. Our prolific production teams kept the beat going all winter. Now that spring is in the process of springing, you can reap the rewards of their efforts with ready-to-rock starters! Perennials du JourDelosperma (Ice plant)Ignore the pooh-poohers who said it wouldn’t last: America’s love affair with succulents is still hot & heavy after all these y